Once businesses are licensed by the state, regulators could choose to allow medical marijuana products to be sold on the recreational market. As the medical program has struggled with licensed supply issues, that may not occur.

Industry experts predict sales may occur by the first quarter of 2020, and no later than March 2020.

2. Cities and townships have until Nov. 1 to ban businesses

The board works during a Leoni Township Board of Trustees meeting on March 12, 2019. (J. Scott Park | MLive.com)

2. Cities and townships have until Nov. 1 to ban businesses

State officials intentionally left four months in between the time they announced the recreational marijuana rules and when they would start accepting applications to allow local governments time to read and interpret them.

Since November 2018 when Michigan voters chose to legalize, more than 600 communities have passed a ban on adult-use marijuana businesses. That means about 4.7 million Michigan residents live in a place that has banned the cannabis industry, according to an MLive analysis.

Some of those bans are temporary, as cities and townships wanted to wait and see how the industry would be regulated before deciding how they wanted to zone and regulate it themselves.

Map: Communities with recreational marijuana bans

3. "Emergency" rules

Employees work to harvest marijuana plants at Green Peak Industries Research and Development Facility, located at 1669 Jolly Road in Lansing. (Jake May | MLive.com)

3. "Emergency" rules

Under the state law voters approved last year, officials with the Marijuana Regulatory Agency are required to start accepting business license applications by December 6, 2019.

In order to meet that deadline, regulators decided to issue a set of "emergency" rules now that expire in six months.

In its filing July 3 with the Secretary of State, the agency wrote: "To date, no administrative rules have been promulgated under the authority granted to the agency. Specifically, there are no current administrative rules to provide for the lawful cultivation and sale of marihuana to persons 21 years of age or older or to ensure the safety, security, and integrity of the operation of marihuana establishments. There is a need for clarity in the implementation of this act."